jargon of the Transactional Analysis movement of the 1960s, this would
be called a “cold fuzzy,” or something that sounds at first like a
compliment but is decidedly less (as in “you look great – for your age”).
Another negative aspect of the model minority stereotype is the implied
juxtaposition of good (Japanese or Chinese) with bad (all other minority
and/or immigrant groups). In the late twentieth century, both those who
supported affirmative action and those who opposed it drew on the Asian-
as-model-minority stereotype that set up a competition between Asians,
African Americans, and Latinos/as (McGowan and Lindgren 2006).
In his interviews with Asian American students, Park found that an
individual can identify with the term “model minority” while still chaffing
under its restrictions:
Asian Americans cannot perform as “normal” students, cannot be
countercultural, contentious, unconventional, or lead an independent
lifestyle. The ramifications are not that the image itself is threatened
but that the individual is somehow less authentically Asian American
if he or she diverges from it. It is an identity imposed by others and
places considerable constraints not only in the area of study one
selects but the very trajectory of one’s work and contribution to
society.
(Park 2008: 552–553)Anglos often deny or minimize the negative effect of Asian stereotypes.
This becomes clear if discriminatory behavior toward Asians is compared
to other stigmatized groups. For example, on a website where theater
professionals discuss their work, someone posts a question:
Topic: Caucasian to Asian makeup tips? ... Working on a production
of “Thoroughly Modern Millie” where we have Caucasian actors
playing Bun Foo and Ching Ho ... as far as makeup, we want it to
look as authentic as possible, while exaggerating it enough for an
extremely large venue. Any tips or ideas? Anyone have photo
examples?The following hypothetical comparison paragraph is my composition: